Is your job stressing you out?

A little stress at work can be a good thing; it can cause you to push through to reach a deadline. It can create energy to achieve a milestone goal. Too much stress too frequently … the kind that is unrelenting … that kind of stress can create problems.

The American Institute of Stress states that 75-90% of all primary care physician visits are stress-related. Think of all the physical maladies that crop up for you when you are stressed. Maybe you end up with an ongoing headache, back pain, digestive issues or you are unable to focus. Did you know that many research studies indicate that the most common time for heart attacks is Monday mornings? That’s a bit alarming!

If you are feeling stressed at work, do you need to quit your job? Is that your only option? It might be an option for you, especially if you work in a toxic work environment, but let’s look at how you might be able to manage your stress in a different way … without quitting your job.

Recently, I spoke to a team of people who work in a high-stress environment. One woman shared that she has a hard time managing stress because so many factors that affect her job are completely out of her control. She has a ‘plan’ for the day, but then something unexpected demands attention and throws her day off course. She said, “It is what it is. I realize that, then I get stressed and angry and get back to work.”

My question to her, and to you (and me), is this: “What if you left out the part about getting stressed and angry? What if you chose a different response, like that of gratitude?” (Grateful I have a job, grateful I can make a phone call and change my appointment, grateful we have customers to serve, grateful because there are other people in the world who would love to have my problems, etc.)

Stress is ultimately the result of how we respond to what is going on around us. Choose less stress, choose your responses, and take good care of yourself.

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

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A little stress at work can be a good thing; it can cause you to push through to reach a deadline. It can create energy to achieve a milestone goal. Too much stress too frequently … the kind that is unrelenting … that kind of stress can create problems.
The American Institute of Stress states that 75-90% of all primary care…